Nearly half of the Eastern Cape's ambulances are grounded, with Sarah Baartman running just seven

The Eastern Cape's 353-vehicle ambulance fleet is supposed to cover vast distances across eight diverse districts. But 161 of those ambulances — 46% of the total — are currently grounded, and in districts like Sarah Baartman, Alfred Nzo, and Joe Gqabi, more vehicles are out of service than are on the road. The breakdown therefore signals a systemic maintenance crisis rather than isolated mechanical failures, with the most rural communities facing the greatest shortfall in emergency response capacity.